Football | 11/16/2010 6:54:38 PM
PRINCETON, W.Va. – The West Liberty football team wasn't rewarded with a second consecutive NCAA Division II playoff bid despite a late-season surge but Coach Roger Waialae's high-powered Hilltoppers were front and center on Tuesday when the West Virginia Conference coaches released their annual All-WVIAC team.
The first NCAA Division II squad in more than two decades to lead the nation in total offense in back-to-back years, West Liberty had seven first-team All-WVIAC selections and Hilltopper players collected three of the league's major awards. In all, 15 members of the Black and Gold were accorded All-Conference honors.
Senior quarterback Zach Amedro won his second consecutive WVIAC Offensive Player of the Year award while senior linebacker Clay Beeler was honored as the WVIAC Defensive Player of the Year and first-year defensive back Alec Wood was named WVIAC Defensive Freshman of the Year.
Senior tight end Ryan Travis, senior tailback Kevon Calhoun and senior center Nick Madia joined Amedro and Beeler as repeat first-team picks while junior wide receiver David Carter and junior offensive tackle Larry Wriedt earned first-team laurels in their first year with the Hilltopper program.
Senior outside linebacker Jayson Keyser was a second-team All-WVIAC honoree while senior wide receiver Willie Walker, junior offensive lineman Ryan Scaperotta, junior nose tackle Matt Betz, junior defensive end Isaac Omaits, junior defensive tackle Nick Ringwalt, sophomore defensive tackle Leonidas Redding and Wood all received honorable mention from the league coaches.
With seven first-team selections, the Hilltopper football program has now produced a total of 42 first-team All-WVIAC performers during Waialae's six seasons at the helm.
Amedro is West Liberty's third WVIAC Offensive Player of the Year and the first to win back-to-back awards. Frank Zebrasky was the 1979 winner while Randy Little shared the 1974 award with Salem's Jack Deloplaine. The Hilltopper QB is the ninth man in conference history to win multiple Offensive Player of the Year awards. Former Shepherd running back Dervon Wallace (2006-07) was the most recent repeat honoree.
Beeler became West Liberty's fifth WVIAC Defensive Player of the Year after coming up just one vote shy a year ago. Darren Banks won the 2008 award while Hilltopper Hall of Famer E.J. Burt won back-to-back honors in 1999 and 2000. Dave Peterson shared the 1995 award with West Virginia State's Quinton Barnes and Jim Calhoun was the 1977 honoree. West Liberty Hall of Famer Ed “Buzz” Evans won the first WVIAC Defensive Player of the Year award in 1974.
Wood, the son of Hilltopper team physician – and former WLU gridder – Dr. Vic Wood, is the recipient of the inaugural WVIAC Defensive Freshman of the Year award. Fairmont State quarterback Logan Moore was named WVIAC Offensive Freshman of the Year.
West Liberty went 7-3 to post its sixth consecutive winning season under Waialae – the school's longest unbroken string of success since World War II – and closed out the year with three straight wins to finish 8th in the final Super Region One ranking. Playoff bids are awarded to the top six teams.
The Hilltoppers' season-ending 56-33 rout of Concord lifted West Liberty into a second-place tie in the final WVIAC standings. West Liberty has finished first or second in the WVIAC in each of the past five years.
Following are brief capsules on the Hilltoppers' Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Defensive Freshman of the Year along with the rest of the first- and second-team selections.
Zach Amedro: The 6-0, 200-pound senior from Moundsville, W.Va. cemented his status as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NCAA Division II history with a record-setting senior year. Amedro completed 329-of-485 passes for 4,058 yards and an NCAA Division II season-high 38 TDs with just 8 interceptions. He became the leading passer in NCAA Division II history with 14,733 career passing yards and also set all-time Division II records for pass completions, passing yards per game, 300-yard passing games and 300-yard total offense games. This fall, he was only the second NCAA Division II quarterback ever to average more than 400 passing yards a game for an entire season and finished among the top 10 nationally in almost every passing category.
Clay Beeler: The 6-3, 225-pound senior from Waverly, Ohio closed out his career in style with his third All-WVIAC citation and the Defensive Player of the Year Award. Despite missing a midseason game due to a knee injury and playing hurt for the remainder of the year, Beeler still led all WVIAC defensive players with an average of 9.1 tackles per game. He had 9 tackles-for-loss, a pair of quarterback sacks, broke up two passes and had a forced fumble. His career-high 18-tackle day at Seton Hill was tops in the WVIAC this fall and ranked among the top 10 in the nation.
Alec Wood: The 6-0, 195-pound freshman from Wheeling, W.Va. was an immediate impact player in the Hilltopper secondary. He was the team's second-leading tackler with 51 stops on the season and was also charted with 5 tackles-for-loss, 3 quarterback sacks, one pass break-up and a quarterback hurry. In addition to his defensive exploits, Wood also excelled on special teams, providing a Hilltopper season highlight with a 69-yard punt return touchdown in the win at Southern Connecticut.
Ryan Travis: The 6-3, 235-pound tight end from Massillon, Ohio had one of the top receiving years in NCAA Division II history. He caught at least 10 passes in every game to lead the nation with 126 catches for 1,402 yards and 15 TDs. Travis's 126 catches and 12.6 average per game each rank No. 2 all-time on the NCAA Division II single-season receiving list while the 15 TD catches ties the NCAA Division II single-season record for tight ends. His 285 career catches are the fifth-highest total for any NCAA Division II receiver in history. He leaves West Liberty as the school's career leader in catches, receiving yards (3,228) and receiving touchdowns (34).
Kevon Calhoun: The 5-11, 195-pound senior from Rockville, Md. missed two games due to injury but still had one of the most impressive seasons ever by a WVIAC running back. Calhoun led the league in rushing (136.0 ypg.), touchdowns (18), rushing touchdowns (17), scoring (13.5 ppg.), and all-purpose yards (193.4 ypg.). His 13.5 ppg. scoring average led the nation while he was third nationally in all-purpose yards and fifth in rushing. Calhoun also posted two of the top six single-game rushing performances in school history , set all-time WLU records for touchdowns and scoring, and wrapped up his career as the second-leading rusher ever at West Liberty.
David Carter: The 6-3, 185-pound junior from Los Angeles, Calif. came on strong down the stretch to emerge as one of the most dangerous receivers in the WVIAC. He finished the season with 64 catches for 787 yards and 11 TDs.
Nick Madia: The 6-1, 300-pound senior from Valencia, Calif. earned his second consecutive first-team All-WVIAC berth after anchoring the Hilltopper offensive line from his center position.
Larry Wriedt: The 6-7, 320-pound junior from Sacramento, Calif. started every game at right tackle for West Liberty in his first year after transferring from a California junior college.
Jayson Keyser: The 6-2, 185-pounder from Bellaire, Ohio moved up to second-team status this year after earning honorable mention as a junior. Keyser ranked among the team's leading tacklers with 48 stops, including 3.5 tackles-for-loss, one quarterback sack, one quarterback hurry and 4 pass break-ups. He also blocked a field goal attempt at Concord.
A list of the complete 2010 All-WVIAC Football Team follows:
2010 ALL-WVIAC FOOTBALL TEAM
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: ZACH AMEDRO, WEST LIBERTY
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: CLAY BEELER, WEST LIBERTY
Coach Of The Year: Dennis Creehan, West Virginia Wesleyan
Offensive Freshman Of The Year: Logan Moore, Fairmont State
DEFENSIVE FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: ALEC WOOD, WEST LIBERTY
FIRST TEAM
Offense
OL-Steve Baisey (Shepherd, Sr., 5-10, 270, Gaithersburg, MD)
OL-Shannon Breen (W.Va. Wesleyan, Sr., 6-4, 271, New Market, MD)
OL-Mark Jackson (Glenville State, Soph., 6-6, 330, Columbus, OH)
OL-LARRY WRIEDT (WEST LIBERTY, JR., 6-6, 320, SACRAMENTO, CA)
C-NICK MADIA (WEST LIBERTY, SR., 6-1, 300, VALENCIA, CA)
TE-RYAN TRAVIS (WEST LIBERTY, SR., 6-3, 245, MASSILLON, OH, 126 REC., 1402 YDS, 15 TD)
QB-ZACH AMEDRO (WEST LIBERTY, SR., 6-0, 200, MOUNDSVILLE, WV, 68% COMP., 4058 YDS, 38 TD)
WR-JERMAINE CARTER (WEST LIBERTY, JR., 6-3, 190, LOS ANGELES, CA, 64 REC., 787 YDS, 11 TD)
WR-Jermain King (W.Va. State, Sr., 6-1, 210, Wachula, FL, 69 rec., 944 yds, 7 TD)
WR-Thomas Mayo (Concord, Jr., 6-2, 184, Reston, VA, 74 rec., 1315 yds, 14 TD)
WR-Jon Meadows (W.Va. Wesleyan, Jr., 6-1, 186, Carroll, OH, 91 rec., 985 yds, 10 TD)
RB-Tommy Addison (Shepherd, Jr., 5-9, 180, Germantown, MD, 1178 rush yds, 15 TD)
RB-KEVON CALHOUN (WEST LIBERTY, SR., 5-11, 191, ROCKVILLE, MD, 1088 RUSH YDS, 39 REC., 18 TD)
RB-Brian Kennedy (Concord, Jr., 5-8, 174, Centreville, VA, 1092 rush yds, 14 TD)
Defense
DL-Luke Black (Fairmont State, Jr., 6-6, 280, Marietta, OH, 28 TT, 5 TFL)
DL-Jonas Celian (W.Va. Wesleyan, Soph., 6-0, 200, North Lauderdale, FL, 53 TT, 24 TFL, 13 sacks)
DL-Mike Price (W.Va. Wesleyan, Sr., 6-1, 280, Morgantown, WV, 44 TT, 18 TFL, 9 sacks)
NG-Derrell Hand (W.Va. Wesleyan, Sr., 6-4, 305, Philadelphia, PA, 47 TT, 13 TFL)
ILB-CLAY BEELER (WEST LIBERTY, SR., 6-1, 225, WAVERLY, OH, 82 TT, 9 TFL)
ILB-Brian Taylor (Shepherd, Sr., 6-3, 240, Elkridge, MD, 64 TT, 3 INT)
OLB-Nick McGahagan (Seton Hill, Jr., 5-11, 220, Youngstown, OH, 97 TT, 27 TFL)
OLB-Greg Underwood (Fairmont State, Jr., 6-0, 190, Anderson, SC, 93 TT, 4 INT, 8 PBU)
CB-Keon Robinson (Shepherd, Soph., 5-11, 185, Fairfax Station, VA, 46 TT, 8 INT)
CB-Ottis Scott (W.Va. Wesleyan, Jr., 5-11, 170, Tampa, FL, 45 TT, 4 INT, 9 PBU)
S-Dewey McDonald (Fairmont State, Soph., 6-1, 205, Ranson, WV, 69 TT, 3 INT, 9 PBU)
S-Aaron Martinez (Concord, Jr., 6-1, 200, Yorba Linda, CA, 78 TT, 5 INT)
Special Teams
P-Ben Landis (Fairmont State, Jr., 6-2, 175, Johnstown, PA, 40.5 ypp)
K-Frank Keenan (Fairmont State, Jr., 5-10, 200, Byfleet, England, 38-41 PAT, 8-10 FG)
KR-Deante Steele (Shepherd, Sr., 5-8, 192, Woodbridge, VA, 20.9 y/kor, 9.9 y/pr)
SECOND TEAM
Offense
OL-Josh Harvey (Charleston, Sr., 6-2, 275, St. Albans, WV)
OL-Matt Khouri (Fairmont State, Sr., 6-6, 320, Pittsburgh, PA)
OL-Bryan Roof (Concord, Sr., 6-0, 275, Liberty, WV)
OL-Josh Spring (Shepherd, Jr., 6-0, 290, Lovettsville, VA)
OL-J.B. Walton (W.Va. Wesleyan, Jr., 6-4, 290, Indian Head, MD)
C-Brandon Link (Concord, Jr., 6-1, 280, Cumberland, MD)
TE-Dominique Jones (Shepherd, Sr., 6-2, 250, San Diego, CA)
QB-Zack Grossi (Concord, Soph., 6-2, 215, Jefferson, FL)
QB-Adam Neugebauer (W.Va. Wesleyan, Jr., 6-2, 184, Pittsburgh, PA)
WR-Perry Baker (Fairmont State, Sr., 6-1, 170, New Smyrna, FL)
WR-Andre Higgins (Charleston, Sr., 6-5, 205, Cincinnati, OH)
RB-Bobby Humphries (Shepherd, Sr., 6-3, 250, Frederick, MD)
RB-Jordan Roberts (Charleston, Soph., 5-11, 215, Madison, WV)
RB-Julien Valentin (W.Va. Wesleyan, Soph., 5-8, 195, St. Lucie, FL)
Defense
DL-Howard Jones (Shepherd, Soph., 6-3, 225, Woodbridge, VA)
DL-Thomas Hearons (Concord, Sr., 6-4, 265, Penny Farms, FL)
DL-Craig Kampfer (Charleston, Sr., 6-2, 235, Kensington, OH)
NG-Mike Franklin (Shepherd, Fr., 6-2, 310, Elkridge, MD)
NG-Josh Miller (Concord, Soph., 6-2, 282, Pulaski, VA)
ILB-Donald Marshall (Glenville State, Jr., 6-0, 230, Wichita, KS)
ILB-Austin McClain (Charleston, Jr., 6-3, 220, Lancaster, OH)
OLB-Joe Greenway (Concord, Jr., 5-10, 190, Roanoke, VA)
OLB-JAYSON KEYSER (WEST LIBERTY, SR., 6-2, 185, BELLAIRE, OH)
OLB-Ben Minturn (Shepherd, Sr., 6-1, 210, Gaithersburg, MD)
CB-Steven Bumpus (W.Va. State, Jr., 6-1, 175, Charleston, WV)
CB-Ryland Newman (Fairmont State, Soph., 6-2, 175, Ranson, WV)
CB-Riyadh Richardson (Concord, Fr., 5-8, 175, Byrnes, SC)
S-Corey Washington (Shepherd, Soph., 5-9, 185, Alexandria, VA)
S-Chris Woomer (Charleston, Sr., 5-11, 185, Marietta, GA)
Special Teams
P-Brad Cox (Concord, Soph., 5-10, 175, Christiansburg, VA)
K-Eric Dobratz (Shepherd, Jr., 5-11, 170, Woodbridge, VA)
KR-Zack Page (Fairmont State, Sr., 5-8, 180, Plain City, OH)
West Liberty Honorable Mention
OL-Ryan Scaperotta (West Liberty, 6-6, 305, Jr., San Diego, CA)
WR-Willie Walker (West Liberty, 6-5, 190, Sr., Cadiz, OH)
DL-Leonidas Redding (West Liberty, 6-2, 270, So., Cleveland, OH)
NG-Matt Betz (West Liberty, 6-0, 275, Jr., Louisville, OH)
DL-Isaac Omaits (West Liberty, 6-3, 240, Jr., Dillonvale, OH)
DB-Alec Wood (West Liberty, 6-0, 195, Fr., Wheeling, WV)
DL-Nicholas Ringwalt (West Liberty, 6-4, 305, Jr., Coshocton, OH)
